Sailing Yacht A: The World's Largest Sailing Yacht

With an estimated personal wealth of around £6 billion, Russian businessman Andrey Melnichenko is believed to be building the world’s largest sailing yacht.

The top secret project being built by the Nobiskrug shipyard in Kiel, Germany has been dubbed the “Sailing Yacht A” and is expected to measure in at 482ft.

Melnichenko earned his billions as founder of the fertiliser producer EuroChem, the coal producer Suek, the power generator SGK, and the pipe exporter TMK with fellow Russian billionaire Sergei Popov. He also the proud owner of the world’s 4th most expensive superyacht. The modestly named "A" is 390ft in length and cost around £250 million, but will still measure 92ft less than the proposed length of Sailing Yacht A.

Project insiders told CNBC that Melnichenko’s new sailing yacht will feature a "soaring, open atrium that will rise three stories"; a gigantic swimming pool". It is also estimated that it have a crew of 66 people.

"Maltese Falcon", the 289ft sailing yacht owned by Tom Perkins, a founder of the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, is considered to be the current largest sailing superyacht in the world. At nearly double the size, Sailing Yacht A is expected to be one of the most impressive vessels in the world.

As more images emerge from Kiel, Sailing Yacht A is thought to be made of super lightweight, high-strength carbon fiber. Its mast system is believed to consist of 3 masts measuring upward of 100m and weighing 50 tonnes per rig. These rumours were recently strengthend when 3 masts fitting this description emerged from the headquarters of Magma Structures in Portsmouth and were seen to be transported to Kiel on a barge.

Clarks and MUSTO have teamed up to deliver the ultimate performance inshore racing shoe, designed especially for ultimate grip and stability in wet conditions, while maintaining weight with superior water drainage.